Ukrainian Embassy in Bucharest: If Russia continues war, Chernobyl can happen again, in 2022

The Ukrainian Embassy in Bucharest claims that Russia's attack can cause "another ecological disaster" by moving military forces to Chernobyl, Agerpres reports.

"In 1986, the world saw the biggest technological disaster in Chernobyl. Russia's attack on Ukraine may cause another environmental disaster, by moving military forces to Chernobyl. If Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022," the Ukrainian diplomatic mission said in a Facebook post on Friday.

The Ukrainian nuclear agency said Friday that it was recording increased levels of radiation at the site of the former Chernobyl atomic power plant. The experts of Ukraine's EcoCenter company are linking the increase of gamma radiations in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to the overturning of topsoil following pressure from a large number of heavy military equipment, the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine (SNRIU) said on Facebook.

Presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak had announced Thursday evening that the Ukrainian army had lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. He also said that the state of the installations and nuclear waste deposits at Chernobyl is not known.